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Tag: poet

Romantic island in Ireland complete with its own castle for sale for just £80,000; there is, of course, a catch A 0.54 acre island at the southeastern end of Lough Key, near Boyle in County Roscommon is to be sold this December. A castle was built there first in the 12th century and though … Continue reading “A Castle With A Catch”

Described by the BBC as “a serial fringe candidate,” Broxtowe, Nottingham born ‘Lord Biro’ attended the late paedophile Jimmy Savile’s funeral dressed as Elvis. He threw a 99p bunch of flowers into his grave as “a mark of respect.” A divorced painter and decorator, wacky David Bishop adopted his first moniker (‘Lord Byro’) in … Continue reading “David Bishop (AKA ‘Lord Biro’ and ‘Bus-pass Elvis’)”

Knightsbridge townhouse for sale for sum 11% lower than it sold for in 2011; it comes with a rather large hole in the garden that has been described as “almost as deep as the Führerbunker” To the poet and wit Henry Luttrell (1765 – 1861) “eating pâté de foie gras to the sound of trumpets” … Continue reading “A Bastard of a Basement”

Octagonal Victorian Gothic landmark in Westchester County, New York available for rent; Bono was filmed there and it includes the only domestic Egyptian Revival room in existence A Victorian Gothic house in Irvington, Westchester County, New York that resembles a wedding cake has been put on the market to rent for £30,300 per month … Continue reading “The Icing on the Cake”

Scottish sporting estate, once home to Sir Walter Scott, for sale; it comes with nearly two miles of fishing on the River Tweed, 863 acres of land and seven houses The Scottish estate where Sir Walter Scott, Bt. (1771 – 1732) wrote his narrative poems Lay of the Minstrel and The Lady of the … Continue reading “An Epic Estate”

£144,000 per year sought for Oxfordshire mansion that was the scene of a most curious ménage-a-trois; it is owned by the writer Sofka Zinovieff “Tall and willowy” writer Sofka Zinovieff inherited Faringdon House in Oxfordshire at the age of 25 from her eccentric, bisexual uncle, Robert ‘The Mad Boy’ Heber-Percy, partner of the owner … Continue reading “Fun at Faringdon”

Matthew Steeples celebrates getting blocked by Paul Nuttall on Twitter When someone blocks you on Twitter, you know you’ve won. In the past, I’ve been cut off by an array of ‘delights’ ranging from the sofa loving sad sack Sir Christopher Meyer to the foaming-at-the-mouth firebrand George Galloway. Others joining that list include the … Continue reading “Blocked by Nuttall”

North Yorkshire mill house complete with its own valley for sale; Wordsworth waxed lyrical about its setting and Turner painted it Described as “a delightful and delicious valley” by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850) in 1799 in a letter to his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834), … Continue reading “Painting & Poetry”

The daughter of John Betjeman, Candida Lycett Green was English through and through. An author, conservationist and horsewoman, Lycett Green was a bohemian member of the Private Eye set whom lived by the Reverend Sydney Smith’s “take the short view of human life, never further than dinner or tea”. She began her marriage to the … Continue reading “Candida Lycett Green (1942 – 2014; nicknamed “Wibz”)”

This maverick publishing legend and poet founded Dennis Publishing in 1974 and was the first person to say the word “cunt” on live British television in 1970 on David Frost’s The Frost Programme. Born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Felix Dennis was jailed but subsequently acquitted in a trial relating to a sexually explicit Rupert the Bear cartoon … Continue reading “Felix Dennis (1947 – 2014)”

As Annabel Giles is threatened with legal action, she tweets about raspberry jam Media mouthpiece Annabel Giles, this morning’s Daily Mail reported, is being threatened with legal action over claims she made during the Channel 5 show The Big Benefits Row: Live. I am not surprised given that this is not the first time … Continue reading “Jamming Giles”

The births, deaths and innovations of the year 2013 has been a year of change. Much new has reached us but sadly many have left us and amongst them have been Iain Banks, Joan Fontaine, Sir David Frost, Richard Griffiths, Cory Monteith, James Gandolfini, Lou Reed and Paul Walker.

This poet and artist was born in Consett, County Durham and began writing aged just 13 during his time studying at a monastery in Shropshire. Famed for his amazing head of a hair and a regular at the Chelsea Arts Club, amongst Armstrong’s most poignant verses is one from his poem Who Am I in … Continue reading “John Armstrong”

“Dinky, danky, doodle, dee, I am a poet and so is she” goes his opening line. This Scot wanders the streets around Chelsea Green selling poems. “I am the magic man”, he often continues and “I could have sex with any woman I wanted” are amongst the other quotes he shares. “Dinky Danky” and his companion, … Continue reading “Martin the Poet”

This Dubai born poet, actor and photographer was expelled from Saudi Arabia in April 2013 by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices for being “too sexy”. He has over 175,000 fans on his Facebook page and of women he states: “The beauty of a woman must be seen from in … Continue reading “Omar Borkan Al Gala”

The sale of a historic £22 million residence on London’s Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk in Chelsea is amongst the addresses that an estate agent would describe as “the most sought after in London”. Up there in the company of the Bishops Avenue, Grosvenor Square and Cadogan Square, it has moved from having been home … Continue reading “Taking a view”

Matthew Steeples delves into the history of Albany, Piccadilly and discovers an affordable way of living there Albany, off Piccadilly in Mayfair, was most probably London’s first apartment block and it’s certainly the city’s most exclusive. It may be next to the Royal Academy and opposite Fortnum & Mason but surprisingly few have even … Continue reading “The badgers of Albany”

In his role as Downton Abbey’s Lord Grantham, this actor warned that “scandals” always have a habit of coming out. He graduated in Theology at Cambridge but, according to Adam Helliker of the Daily Express, Bonneville wasn’t especially keen to show Christian compassion towards Lord Archer at a party at The Cadogan Hotel when it … Continue reading “Hugh Bonneville”

Pam Ayres makes a poem of Matthew Steeples Yesterday, I found myself listening to a self-proclaimed “writer, broadcaster and entertainer” named Pam Ayres on BBC Radio 4. An example of her style numbers: “I am sittin’ on the sofa. By the fire and stayin’ in. Me head is free of comfort. And … Continue reading “Twittering S-Pam”

This supposed “First Lady of Comedy” spouts lines like: “He had a bull name Floyd, but he was unemployed.” How long did it take her to come up with that? Her appearances on Radio 4 and elsewhere are peppered with references to “blummin’ people” and how she’s “stuck all [she] can stick.” Could someone please … Continue reading “Pam Ayres MBE”

The North Devon countryside that inspired Henry Williamson, R. D. Blackmore and Charles Kingsley Much of my childhood was spent reading the works of superb authors and amongst the best of them were Arthur Ransome (1884 – 1967), Denys Watkins-Pitchford (1905 – 1990), who wrote many of his works under the pseudonym “B.B.”, and … Continue reading “The land of Tarka and Salar”

The sale of a $25 million mansion modeled on Marie Antoinette’s favourite retreat that has connections to Levi Strauss & Co., Yehudi Menuhin, the Zodiac Killer and a controversial dot-com tycoon Modeled on the Petit Trianon, a small château in the grounds of Versailles that was favoured by Louis XVI’s wife Marie Antoinette, the … Continue reading “Going under the Kosh”

“Petsy” brilliantly combines life as a writer and journalist with being a social dynamo. When interviewing Janet Anderson, then Labour Minister for Women, she suggested that: “Under Labour, women will become more promiscuous.” Her own relationship with Boris Johnson was a very public affair but the daughter of Lord Wyatt of Weeford deserves to be … Continue reading “Petronella Wyatt”

Jeffrey’s invented a lot of tales but is rightly renowned for spinning them brilliantly. This former politician wrote some brilliant diaries whilst in prison and now is mostly likely to be found doing charitable deeds. His shepherd’s pie and Krug parties are still the stuff of legends.